Category Archives: Travel

Watch for Snakes!

I’ve always thought of roadside rest stops as a necessity. You’re in, you’re out, you’re on your way. But I’m working on a photography project about the history of automobile tourism in West Texas, and I’ve started looking at rest stops in a slightly different way.

I grabbed my camera at this rest stop on I-10 between Balmorhea and Fort Stockton when I saw the “WATCH FOR SNAKES” sign. I’ve noticed warnings like this before, but they’re usually on a path leading to the picnic tables. This prominent sign made me think. Should I watch for snakes in the restroom? Given the fact that the rest stop is in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas, and that the restrooms have cool, tile floors, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if I found a rattlesnake curled up next to the toilet.

So I was on the lookout for snakes.

Buffalo Soldier Tile Mural

But I found something even more wonderful. Across the bathroom wall was this tile mural of a 19th century Buffalo Soldier and his horse. The Buffalo Soldiers were African-American infantry and cavalry troops stationed at Fort Stockton (1867-1886) and Fort Davis (1867-1885) after the Civil War. The soldiers were responsible for protecting travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso road, constructing telegraph lines, guarding watering holes, and conducting campaigns against raiding Apache and Comanche warriors.

This mural made me think. Were all of these mid-1960s rest stops decorated with murals depicting local history? I grabbed my map, checked for the next rest stop, and headed east.

Acrocanthosaurus Stomps Across a Cretaceous Swamp in Pecos County

The next stop was just past SH 190 (the Iraan turnoff).

Here, a salmon-pink dinosaur stomps across the wall, glittering white teeth bared. This one puzzled me at first. A dinosaur? Out here? But then I remembered a roadside park near Girvin (a few miles northwest of the rest stop) where, 120 million years ago, a theropod dinosaur squelched through the mud. In 1965, highway workers uncovered its three-toed tracks preserved in the limestone of a creek-bed. Paleontologists decided that an Acrocanthosaurus—a genus of dinosaurs that existed in the early Cretaceous (125 mya to 110 mya) and had a distinctive short ridge along its spine—left the tracks as it foraged along the shore of an ancient sea.

Eureka! I was on to something. Like a bloodhound hot on the trail, I started looking for rest stops. The 1960s-era rest stops were not only examples of quirky, fun public art, but also related to the history of the region. I love this kind of thing.

Brands and Oil in Nolan County off Interstate 20

Over the next couple of days, I went on a rest-stop treasure hunt. Even my mom got involved. I’d promised her a Grand Adventure for Mother’s Day and suggested we drive the backroads of Central Texas looking at wildflowers. Instead, she remembered an old rest stop up near Fort Worth. Could we go check it out? You’ve just got to adore mothers like that. The old rest stop near Fort Worth was gone, but we discovered some other treasures.

The Nolan County rest stop (on I-20 between Sweetwater and Trent) was the most complex one that I visited on my three-day trip. Tile-work murals cover the entire bathroom. A frieze of historic brands circle the walls and against the back wall is an oil rig, quail, deer, and a variety of other wildlife.

Cowboy and Herefords, Nolan County

On the side wall of the Nolan County rest area the mural continues, depicting a cowboy with his Herefords. As with the other murals, there’s a story to tell. Nolan County was founded in 1876 and by 1880, there were 52 ranches in the area. Herefords, a British breed that was exceptionally suited to the Texas environment, gradually replaced Longhorns as the cattle of choice on the ranches. I wondered if the brands shown on the walls were those of the first 52 ranches, so I gave Melonnie Hicks, the Executive Director of the Pioneer City-County Museum in Sweetwater, a call. I caught her at a bad time, and she wasn’t sure about the brands. But, she told me, the museum has actual brands from those historic ranches, and anyone that’s curious can drop by the museum and take a look.

The oil rig is a nod to the discovery of oil in Nolan County in 1939 and an oil and gas industry that boomed in the 1950s.

The History of Auto Tourism Exhibit in Eastland County

I have to admit that I have a fondness for the old-style rest stops and their art, but I can see why the Texas Department of Transportation is replacing some of them with new, mega-safety rest areas. The old ones are small. Some are dark. People complain that there aren’t doors on them, making them potentially unsafe.

In 2001, TxDot began building a different style of rest stop. These are big, open, airy buildings with lots of parking, playgrounds, and even WIFI. But they’re more than that. To reduce the number of fatigue-caused accidents, TXDot engineers wanted people to stay longer. They worked with county historical commissions, schools, and other local groups to create rest areas that portrayed the local community. In a sense, they’re small museums, complete with interpretive panels, artifacts, and hands-on, computer-based interactive exhibits. They’re a destination on their own.

So next time you’re out for a long drive, pull off and enjoy the art and history of Texas rest stops. Which are your favorites?